Comelec resumes voter registration, 36,536 sign up on day one

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has resumed nationwide voter registration for the 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), with 36,536 people registering on the first day.

The seven-month registration period will run from October 20, 2025, to May 18, 2026, and will be open Mondays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Calabarzon recorded the highest number of registrants with 8,290, followed by the National Capital Region with 4,637 and Central Luzon with 4,100.

The Cordilleras had the lowest number of registrants with 483, followed by Caraga with 670 and Mimaropa with 929.

The Special Register Anywhere Program (SRAP) was also relaunched, and all types of voter registration applications are being accepted.

Voter registration in Bangsamoro provinces is suspended until after their inaugural parliamentary polls, though applications will be processed later.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia hopes to register approximately 1.4 million new voters for the upcoming elections, which have been postponed to November 2026.

The BSKE this December has again been postponed by a year, to November 2026.